Colville High survived the Jordan Wood show last Friday night in a District 7 1A boy’s basketball tournament loser-out game, downing Riverside and their sharpshooter, 65-48.
The win earned the Indians (12-9) a District 7 1A Tournament opening date Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Mead High School against Highway 395 rival and Northeast A League runner-up Chewelah (15-5).
In the other loser-out game last Friday night, Newport (11-9) edged visiting Lakeside (9-11) 51-49 to advance to Wednesday’s District opening round. The Grizzlies will oppose NEA regular season champion Freeman (13-7) at 6:30 p.m.
Three teams will advance from District to the Bi-District Tournament against the top three teams from the Caribou-Trail League. The Bi-District loser-out opening round starts next Tuesday night at Moses Lake High School. The double elimination tournament proper will be held at Chelan High School.

Need one win

One District win is necessary to advance to the Bi-District 6-7 Tournament against the CTL.
Wednesday’s winners at Mead High will advance to the District 7 championship game Friday at Mead (6:30 p.m.). The winner will go as top seed and the loser will be second-seeded to Bi-District.
The opening round losers on Wednesday will play at 3:30 p.m. on Friday at Mead for District 7’s third and final berth to Bi-District.
CHS head coach John Foulkes was pleased to be able to get past a Riverside team (4-17) that has struggled this season, but has been in a majority of their games.
“Jordan Wood was fantastic,” Foulkes said of the second half show that Wood put on. The 5-11 senior guard and league’s best shooter scored 34 points, 29 of them in the second half. Wood had all but four of his team’s points in the second half.
“We didn’t have anybody who could guard him in the second half,” Foulkes said. “That was a fantastic display of shooting. He’s got a pure stroke…I haven’t seen anything like that since The Jimmer (former BYU star Jimmer Fredette). He was lighting it up and putting his head down and driving. It was just pretty dynamic.”
Wood has had a tendency to light up the Indians at times in the past three years, particularly in the second half of games. Last Friday night was one of those times.
“He was scoring every way he could…and he’s very much a team kid, but he’s had great success when it seems that there is no other choice but for him to try and take over (a game).
“It was kind of déjà vu all over again.”

Riverside couldn’t slow down Colville either

Wood had six second half three-pointers and was nine of nine from the free throw line in the game (seven of seven in the second half).
“Luckily, we had a big cushion and were having a lot of success getting the ball down low in the paint where we need to get it,” Foulkes said of the Indians’ second highest scoring total of the season to date. “But with Wood shooting like that, Riverside just wouldn’t go away.”
Foulkes, who has a lot of respect for Wood and his ability, was happy to see the senior go out with some success.
“You never like to have somebody go off for 34 points against you,” Foulkes said. “But he’s a good kid and has had a great career. He did everything he could do against us in that second half. I was happy for him.”
Colville had considerable success ramping up the tempo and getting out on the break against the Rams. The Indians, who have preferred more of a half-court game for the most part this season, ran at every opportunity against Riverside.
The Indians’ shooting percentage was reflective of a lot of easy looks.
CHS, 0-10 from three-point range, still shot 58 percent from the field (26 of 45—a season high). Colville was 13 of 18 at the free throw line and owned a 41-23 advantage on the boards.
Riverside was 15 of 58 from the field (26 percent) and eight of 28 from distance.

Sloppy with the basketball once again

If there was sore point, it had to do with Colville’s season-long Achilles heel—an inability to take good care of the basketball. The Indians committed 25 turnovers (CHS is averaging 21 a game). Fourteen of those turnovers came in the first half.
Last year’s team averaged 16 turnovers a game.
“We’ve had trouble there all season,” Foulkes said, adding that the Indians tend to turn the ball over whether they are running or not. “No, it doesn’t seem to matter.”
Senior post Alex Pond turned in what was likely the best all-around game of his career against Riverside. The 6-5, 220-pound Pond scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. He was eight of 12 from the floor and three of four from the free throw line. He also dished out four assists.
“Pond had that sense of urgency,” Foulkes said. “He and our other seniors didn’t want to see it end.
“Alex was pretty dynamic as far as the effort was concerned.”
Inside running mate Matt Hubbard, a 6-9 sophomore, also turned in as solid an outing as he’s had all season long with 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots.
Hubbard was six of seven from the free throw line and nine of 15 from the field.
“That’s a pretty impressive line,” Foulkes said. “That’s one of Matt’s best games of the season.”
CHEWELAH
The Indians are only a few days removed from a disappointing home loss to Chewelah that thrust the Indians into that loser-out game and the Cougars into sole possession of second place in the NEA.
“It’s going to be a tough week and it starts with Chewelah on Wednesday,” Foulkes said. “We need to win one of two games this week to advance.”
Foulkes hopes his Indians will be able to amp up the offense and run some against a Chewelah team that likes to get the game up-tempo with a guard-oriented team that shoots it well and has good quickness.
“We would like to be able to get the game up and down a little and be able to get the ball into the paint like we did against Riverside,” Foulkes said. “But we are going to have to pick our spots there (running). They will definitely challenge us with their quickness.
“They are tough, athletic and experienced.”
ELSEWHERE
Newport was able to escape their loser-out game with Lakeside and advance after guard Jeron Konkright hit a jumper with one second left in regulation.
Jake Wiley led NHS with a game-high 20 points.
Lakeside got 13 points apiece from Conner Moffatt and Jake Wideman.